RAILWAY 40 HOUR WEEK

Grey River Argus, 8 September 1945, Page 2

RAILWAY 40 HOUR WEEK

POSITION AT GREYMOUTH. At the Railways Department, Greymouth, , the employment position is rapidly returning to normal. Members of the First Division have been working a 40-hour week since last Monday. It is understood that members of the Second Division, who have been working a 48-hour week, will also be returning to 40 hours. This change, however, will be gradual, and not carried out suddenly, as was the case of the First Division, the hours lessening as more men return. Ihe reduction in hours will be welcomed by the men, many of whom have had no leave for years, but the economic repercussions will be less satisfying, for in the case of Second Diivsion men, they will lose the equivalent of three dav.s’ pay a fortnight. CHRISTCHURCH, September 7. A move towards a reduction of working hours to the pre-war 40hour week has been taken by the Railways Department. A report that instructions for the gradual return to normal hours had been issued. was confirmed to-day by. Mr A. B. Grant, ASR S. secretary. Instructions had been given for the return to the 40hour week of Railway Officers’ Institute members. For some years railwaymen have been working a 48hour week, the additional eight hours being paid for at time and a-half rates. Now extra hours of works will not be given to railwaymen as the staffing position improved by the return of manpower from the services. Many individual workers would feel the resultant loss of pay when a return was made to the 40-hour week, Mr Grant said. The reduction in income would be in many cases equivalent to three days’ pay each fortnight. The old problem of the lower-paid worker would probably arise again. If the declaration of essentiality covering the railways were removed, casual workers would be affected. While working under the essentiality declaration, they were given constant employment. If the declaration was revoked, they would again be employed on an hourlv basis and subject to ‘being “put off” at short notice if woods traffic were not available. A close watch was being kept on the interests of those employees.